He had been watching the Karn at their work of destruction, while he
had these thoughts. Now, he said aloud: "Hainker, Graves."
"Yes?" The two men spoke together.
"In a few moments I'm going to ask Captain Browne to turn the ship
again. When he does, use our specimen gas guns!"
The men grinned with relief. "Consider it done," said Hainker.
Lesbee ordered the other four crewmen to be ready to use the
specimen-holding devices at top speed. To Tellier he said, "You take
charge if anything happens to me."
Then he wrote one more message in the notebook: "These beings will
probably continue their mental intercommunication after they are
apparently rendered unconscious. Pay no attention, and do not comment
on it in any way."
He felt a lot better when that statement also had been read by the
others, and the notebook was once more in his possession. Quickly, he
spoke to the screen:
"Captain Browne! Make another turn, just enough to pin them."
And so they captured Dzing and his crew.
As he had expected, the Karn continued their telepathic conversation.
Dzing reported to his ground contact: "I think we did that rather
well."
There must have been an answering message from below, because he went
on, "Yes, commander. We are now prisoners as per your instructions,
and shall await events.... The imprisoning method? Each of us is
pinned down by a machine which has been placed astride us, with the
main section adjusted to the contour of our bodies. A series of rigid
metal appendages fasten our arms and legs. All these devices are
electronically controlled, and we can of course escape at any time.
Naturally, such action is for later...."
Lesbee was chilled by the analysis; but for expendables there was no
turning back.
He ordered his men: "Get dressed. Then start repairing the ship. Put
all the floor plates back except the section at G-8. They removed some
of the analogs, and I'd better make sure myself that it all goes back
all right."
When he had dressed, he re-set the course of the lifeboat, and called
Browne. The screen lit up after a moment, and there staring back at him
was the unhappy countenance of the forty-year-old officer.
Browne said glumly: "I want to congratulate you and your crew on
your accomplishments. It would seem that we have a small scientific
superiority over this race, and that we can attempt a limited landing."
Since there would never be a landing on Alta III, Lesbee simply waited
without comment as Browne seemed lost in thought.
The officer stirred finally. He still seemed uncertain. "Mr. Lesbee,"
he said, "as you must understand, this is an extremely dangerous
situation for me--and--" he added hastily--"for this entire expedition."
What struck Lesbee, as he heard those words, was that Browne was
not going to let him back on the ship. But he had to get aboard to
accomplish his own purpose. He thought: "I'll have to bring this whole
conspiracy out into the open, and apparently make a compromise offer."
He drew a deep breath, gazed straight into the eyes of Browne's image
on the screen and said with the complete courage of a man for whom
there is no turning back: "It seems to me, sir, that we have two
alternatives. We can resolve all these personal problems either through
a democratic election or by a joint captaincy, you being one of the
captains and I being the other."
* * * * *
To any other person who might have been listening the remark must
have seemed a complete non sequitur. Browne, however, understood its
relevance. He said with a sneer, "So you're out in the open. Well, let
me tell you, Mr. Lesbee, there was never any talk of elections when the
Lesbees were in power. And for a very good reason. A spaceship requires
a technical aristocracy to command it. As for a joint captaincy, it
wouldn't work."
Lesbee urged his lie: "If we're going to stay here, we'll need at least
two people of equal authority--one on the ground, one on the ship."
"I couldn't trust you on the ship!" said Browne flatly.
"Then you be on the ship," Lesbee proposed. "All such practical details
can be arranged."
The older man must have been almost beside himself with the intensity
of his own feelings on this subject. He flashed, "Your family has been
out of power for over fifty years! How can you still feel that you have
any rights?"